God’s love, which is stronger than death, is causing me to continue walking the path of the mission the Lord has given me (John 6:1–15). “At that very time some Pharisees came and said to Him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill You.’ He replied, ‘Go tell that fox, “I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.” In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:31–35). ...
The pastor must faithfully convey the message
whether the congregation
listens or not.
King
Zedekiah summoned the prophet Jeremiah and said to him,
"I
have something to ask you. Do not hide
anything from me."
At
that time, the prophet Jeremiah responded to King Zedekiah,
"If
I tell you the truth, won't you surely kill me?
Even
if I give you advice, you won't listen to me."
Then
King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah, saying,
"As
surely as the Lord who gives us life lives,
I
will not kill you or hand you over to those who seek your life."
Only
then did the prophet Jeremiah relay to King Zedekiah
the
words of the Almighty God of Israel.
“If
you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon,
you
will not die, and this city will not be burned;
you
and your family will live.
But
if you do not surrender to them,
this
city will be handed over to the Babylonians.
They
will burn it down, and you will not escape from their hands”
(Jeremiah
38:14-18).
As I
reflect on this passage, I receive a few lessons:
(1)
The servant of the Lord must not hide anything when proclaiming God's word
but
should deliver the message exactly as received to the congregation.
(2) The servant of the Lord must faithfully convey the message
whether
the congregation listens or not (cf. Ezekiel 2:5, 7; 3:11).
(3) The servant of the Lord should trust God's promises over the promises of
people
and
deliver even the messages that are difficult for the congregation to hear,
as
long as they are God's words.
댓글
댓글 쓰기